As Yo Gotti and Jay Z’s Team Roc imprint continue to demand changes within Mississippi’s Parchman Prison, a batch of disturbing photos and videos are further exposing the rampant violence, and inhumane conditions, inside the facility.
The horrific footage, leaked by Team Roc, was recorded by inmates on cell phones, which is considered “contraband” and could result in punishment. The video shows a gruesome fight between inmates that led to one inmate being stabbed multiple times. Another clip, filmed by an inmate, shows his a broken toilet and no running water inside of a filthy cell.
Yo Gotti and Team Roc filed a federal lawsuit against prison officials on behalf of 29 inmates, and an emergency restraining, the latter of which was initially rejected and resubmitted. The leaked footage has been added to court document, TMZ reports.
Last week, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves blamed the “recent series of killings” on inmates with cellphones. Reeves has since announced that a unit in the prison will be shut down.
Joshua Norman, a 26-year-old inmate, was found hanging in his prison cell on Sunday (Jan. 26). Norman was serving a five-year sentence for armed robbery and became the ninth Parchman inmate to die in the last month.
An inmate was found dead in his one-man cell at the MS State Penitentiary at Parchman this morning. No foul play is suspected, according to the Sunflower County Coroner as an ongoing investigation continues and the official cause & manner of death are pending autopsy results.
— MDOC (@MS_MDOC) January 26, 2020
A day later, the Mississippi Department of Corrections reported the death of 28-year-old inmate Limarion Reaves who became the 13th inmate to die in a Mississippi facility in the last month. Reaves, who was serving three years for aggravated assault, collapsed inside the Kemper-Neshoba Regional Correctional Facility.